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Nidoran♂ Line/FRLG
Nidoran♂ can be found on Route 3 and in the Safari Zone. In Route 3, it is much more common in FireRed than in LeafGreen, where Nidoran♂ is more commonly found; likewise, it can only be found as Nidorino in the Safari Zone Area 1 in LeafGreen, and is rare as Nidoran in the other two areas, whereas it is equally common as Nidoran in FireRed, in all three areas. In LeafGreen, however, it is possible to trade one's Nidoran♀ for a Nidoran♂ on Route 5. Moon Stones are available in Mt. Moon, the Rocket Hideout, and the Pokémon Mansion. They are also held by wild Clefairy. What could one possibly not love about Nidoking? Early game availability, well-rounded and balanced stats, access to a Moon Stone basically right after it becomes a Nidorino, and an excellent movepool both on the physical and the special side. No matter what, Nidoking will find its role in every single team, and perform it very well. Its incredibly vast movepool makes any given nature usable, and the TMs it can learn even from the early stages of the game provide it with continuous power boosts; from Celadon onwards, there is very little that can stop a Nidoking, as it can even hold its own against some of the weaker Water-types, with proper Electric coverage. Losing only to the ever-feared pre-Gen IV Psychic-type, Nidoking is easily one of the best possible allies of any Kanto nuzlocker. Important Matchups * Rival (Cerulean City): Double Kick is more than enough to take care of everything on his team, even Abra, which only has Teleport; if Nidorino is still unevolved, it will KO Pidgeotto in an average of three turns, and Pidgeotto may annoy Nidorino in the meantime with Sand-Attack shenanigans, but a Nidoking is less likely to suffer from that. Rattata is generally OHKOed. The starters are all 3HKOed; Bulbasaur is beaten easily with Peck. * Gym #2 - Misty (Cerulean City, Water-type): Nidorino might actually have an easier time than Nidoking here, due to no Water weakness. Still, while Staryu is manageable without too many problems - Nidorino outdamages its Water Pulse with Double Kick, and Nidoking can 2HKO with Dig - Starmie resists Double Kick and will be faster than both Nidorino and Nidoking (unless the battle is skipped until Lt. Surge and Misty is faced with an overlevelled Nidoking), and Water Pulse will really hurt both, due to Starmie's high Special Attack. No amount of help can save Nidorino or Nidoking from Starmie's Water Pulse; even a fully evolved Nidoking with Shock Wave - learned by TM after defeating Lt. Surge - will be outsped and outdamaged by Starmie. * Rival (S.S. Anne): Double Kick spam still works against Pidgeotto and Raticate, respectively KOing in three and two turns. Charmeleon is doable as Nidoking with Double Kick, but Dig makes it easier, scoring a possible OHKO. Horn Attack or Dig are better for Ivysaur, with Dig obviously being best; it will spare Nidoking from Ivysaur's stall techniques, which rely on Sleep Powder and Leech Seed. Nidoking also outdamages Wartortle's Water Gun with Dig, and can win the matchup thanks to its higher Speed. Only a fully healthy Nidoking can hope to defeat Kadabra, though: its Confusion is close to a 2HKO, and Nidoking is highly unlikely to OHKO it with Dig, unless a good few levels over and/or with a higher-than-average Attack. * Gym #3 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Nidoking's Dig completely rules the place, OHKOing Voltorb and Pikachu and also 2HKOing Raichu, which is hopeless against Nidoking as it can only deal damage with Quick Attack. * Rival (Pokémon Tower): This battle will be easier if a stop is made by Celadon City first, and some TMs are bought for Nidoking to learn. Ice Beam works very well against the lead Pidgeotto, and is a very useful move to have even in the long run; it takes care of Exeggcute or Ivysaur, too. For Growlithe or Charmeleon, use Dig; Growlithe's Intimidate will make it a mere 2HKO, but neither Charmeleon nor Growlithe are dangerous for Nidoking. Gyarados and Wartortle can be easily taken down with Thunderbolt instead, respectively with an OHKO and a 2HKO; Wartortle's Water Gun is only a 4HKO against Nidoking, so no problems unless it is already wounded. Kadabra can be OHKOed by Dig if Nidoking is higher levelled (high 20s) and Intimidate is not, or no longer, in effect. * Giovanni (Rocket Hideout, Ground-type): Ice Beam OHKOs both Onix and Rhyhorn unless Nidoking is severely underlevelled. Neither of them has Ground moves to hit Nidoking with, either. Kangaskhan is much tougher, and can 3HKO Nidoking with Mega Punch; Nidoking's best is also a 3HKO with Brick Break, but whether or not Nidoking can outspeed Kangaskhan will be decisive to determine which one of them wins the matchup. A slower Nidoking can still win, but needs to be healed at least once. * Gym #4 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Nidoking has the upper hand over Erika if it is taught either Ice Beam or Flamethrower by TM. It 2HKOs Erika's aces, Victreebel and Vileplume, as well as OHKOing Tangela. * Gym #5 - Koga (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): Nidoking 2HKOs the Koffing with either Thunderbolt or Ice Beam; their Selfdestruct is only an OHKO on a critical hit, so Nidoking should not have problems. Muk is 2HKOed by Dig, though it will likely take Nidoking more than four turns to beat it; it has both Minimize and Acid Armor, which will lengthen the battle. However, Sludge is its only damaging move, so Nidoking only really needs patience to win. Likewise, Weezing only has Tackle and Sludge to hit Nidoking with, and neither move does much damage, whereas Nidoking's elemental beams can easily 3-4HKO. * Fighting Dojo (Saffron City, Fighting-type): Nidoking's Poison-type gives it the upper hand in this battle, offering Fighting resistance. Hitmonlee is easy with Dig, which provides a 2-3HKO, but Nidoking's special moves can be used as well; Nidoking could even use Dig to bait its Hi Jump Kick and cause the miss and recoil, making the battle even faster. Hitmonchan does have Ice Punch, but its base Special Attack is so low that even Nidoking's elemental beams outdamage it. * Rival (Silph Co.): Pidgeot is 2HKOed by either Thunderbolt or Ice Beam. The latter is also useful against Exeggcute or Venusaur, respectively OHKOing and 2-3HKOing; Exeggcute has no Psychic STAB, at any rate, and Venusaur's Razor Leaf deals less damage than that. Gyarados is no longer OHKOed by Thunderbolt, due to no longer being significantly underlevelled, but it can still be 2HKOed without any risks; Blastoise is 3HKOed too, but it can 3HKO back with Water Gun, so a wounded Nidoking should either heal or not fight it. Dig works against Growlithe, 2HKOing it after Intimidate, but Charizard is immune to it and should be left to a better suited teammate, as its Flamethrower can 2HKO and even a Nidoking sporting Rock Slide does not have a certainty to OHKO back. Alakazam only has Future Sight as a damaging move, and can be OHKOed by Shadow Ball; Dig, instead, only 2HKOs, and it should not be used as Alakazam can boost its Special Attack with Calm Mind: if it hits on the turn that Nidoking resurfaces from the ground, it may kill. * Giovanni (Silph Co., Ground-type): Nidorino is 1-2HKOed by Dig. Ice Beam will once again take down Rhyhorn in one go; Nidoqueen is 2-3HKOed by either Dig or Ice Beam. Neither of them has Ground coverage, so Nidoking is not risking anything by battling them. Kangaskhan still wins over Nidoking, and should not be fought. * Gym #6 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): Nidoking can take a Psybeam from Kadabra and then OHKO it with Shadow Ball. Mr. Mime oscillates between the OHKO and the 2HKO, and can 2HKO with Psybeam too; a healthy Nidoking will not find this problematic, but a wounded one may need to avoid the battlefield for safety reasons. Venomoth is best dealt with if Nidoking knows Dig or Flamethrower, the only moves that can outdamage its Psybeam, an average 3-4HKO; Venomoth is also likely to outspeed Nidoking, which will therefore need as much firepower as possible. Avoid Alakazam, it annihilates Nidoking. * Gym #7 - Blaine (Cinnabar Island, Fire-type): Growlithe and Ponyta are 1-2HKOed by either Surf or Dig; both of them can be OHKOed if Growlithe's Intimidate is negated. Rapidash is a certain 2HKO with both moves, regardless of Intimidate (if Intimidate is in effect, Surf will deal more damage). Arcanine is faster than Nidoking, like Rapidash, but unlike Rapidash it can 2HKO Nidoking with Fire Blast and take two hits from it, so a better suited Pokémon should be fighting it. * Gym #8 - Giovanni (Viridian City, Ground-type): The two Rhyhorn are easy prey to Surf if Nidoking knows the move; otherwise, Ice Beam will only manage to OHKO the lower levelled one for certain, so do not risk it against the second, which may kill Nidoking with Earthquake otherwise. Dugtrio can be OHKOed with Surf or Ice Beam, and its Earthquake is only a 2HKO. Nidoqueen and Nidoking is both 2HKOed, again by either Surf or Ice Beam, but their Earthquake is also a 2HKO; Nidoking will be able to participate in this battle somewhat, but it cannot solo Giovanni's team by itself. * Rival (Route 22, pre-Elite Four): Pidgeot is still 2HKOed by Thunderbolt or Ice Beam. The latter OHKOs and 3HKOs Exeggcute and Venusaur respectively, without any risks. Thunderbolt now OHKOs Gyarados again, and its Hydro Pump is only a 2HKO either way, so Nidoking can survive non-critical hits; Blastoise's Water Gun is rather pitiful and Nidoking can 3HKO faster than it, but it does become a dangerous 2HKO under Rain Dance, so a wounded Nidoking should switch out rather than fight it. Dig or Surf dispose of Growlithe in one or two hits, but both Charizard and Alakazam are much faster and stronger than Nidoking and should be avoided; Alakazam is OHKOable with Shadow Ball, but Nidoking can only take a Psychic from full health, and only if its Special Defense is better than average. Use Surf again for the new addition, Rhyhorn. * Elite Four Lorelei (Indigo Plateau, Ice-type): Thunderbolt scores a clean OHKO against Cloyster and a 2HKO against Dewgong and Slowbro, both of which only 2HKO with their respective best moves (Ice Beam and Surf). If Nidoking knows Shadow Ball, it can also OHKO Jynx with it; even in the unlikely event Jynx outspeeds, Ice Punch is once again a 2HKO. Lapras can 2HKO, which Nidoking cannot, and it should be left alone. * Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): Both Onix will be OHKOed by Surf, or Ice Beam if Nidoking does not have Surf; do not Earthquake them, their Defense is high. Hitmonchan has Counter, so only tackle it with special moves and patience (its Special Defense is high enough to make the elemental beams average at a 3-4HKO) or use Toxic against it and stall it out. Hitmonlee has Mega Kick, but not Counter, meaning Nidoking can Earthquake it freely and has good chances of OHKOing; failing that, Hitmonlee can 3HKO at best, at any rate. Likewise for Machamp, though beware of its Bulk Up: Nidoking needs special moves to be ready to KO it as soon as possible, in order to stay completely safe in this fight. * Elite Four Agatha (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): Shadow Ball OHKOs Haunter and 2HKOs both of the Gengar, whose moveset is entirely physical; there are no dangers for Nidoking against them, though it should be awakened if put to sleep, especially since Haunter knows Dream Eater and the ace Gengar has Nightmare. Golbat is 2HKOed by Thunderbolt or Ice Beam, and its Air Cutter barely tickles. Arbok is 1-2HKOed depending on the damage roll, due to its Intimidate, but Earthquake will nevertheless do its job; all its moves are resisted by Nidoking, except the very weak Bite. * Elite Four Lance (Indigo Plateau, Dragon-type): Thunderbolt might not OHKO Gyarados, though if it does not, its Hyper Beam will not do so either; there is a critical hit risk, but the odds are in Nidoking's favour overall. Ice Beam will do well against both Dragonair, 2HKOing them; Outrage is barely a 4HKO from them, so they can even be used for healing purposes if needed, especially when confused. Aerodactyl gets 2HKOed by either of the elemental beams and its Hyper Beam is a laughable 3HKO. Dragonite is tougher, sporting an Outrage that is a 3HKO not too far from a 2HKO, but Nidoking 2HKOs cleanly with Ice Beam and it can once again be healed as the fight progresses, profiting of the turns in which Dragonite hits itself in confusion (if there are any). * Champion Rival (Indigo Plateau): Pidgeot can be taken down with two Thunderbolts or Ice Beams. Rhydon should be fought only if Nidoking is already on the battlefield and knows Surf, because Ice Beam will not OHKO and Nidoking's Earthquake can. Alakazam is more threatening than ever, now having an OHKO chance as well as a high chance to withstand a Shadow Ball; do not fight it with Nidoking. Ice Beam 2HKOs Exeggutor, which is not dangerous due to a lack of Psychic STAB; Venusaur is better left to another Pokémon: its SolarBeam is a 2HKO, but Ice Beam is a 3HKO and it knows both Growth and Sunny Day, which can greatly quicken Nidoking's downfall. Nidoking can 2HKO Gyarados with Thunderbolt and take a Hydro Pump from it in the process, if need be, but Blastoise has a high OHKO chance with its Hydro Pump and can take too many Thunderbolts for Nidoking to win against it. Arcanine and Charizard both outspeed and 2HKO Nidoking on paper, though Nidoking may be able to outspeed Arcanine in practice, given good enough IVs/EVs; in that case, Earthquake will 2HKO it even after Intimidate, but Charizard cannot be beaten. * Post-Game: Mewtwo laughs at Nidoking. Do not try it. Moves Nidoran♂ starts with Leer and Peck. It then learns Focus Energy at level 8, which may be mildly useful to speed up battles in the beginning, but does not boost anything to more than a 12.5% critical hit rate, as the line gets no access to high critical hit ratio moves. At level 12, it gets Double Kick; this move is very useful for dealing with the omnipresent early-game Normal-types, as well as having decent base power and being useful immediately against Brock. After evolution, it gets Poison Sting at level 18; this is the only STAB move the line learns normally, and as expected from the third generation, it is not very good. It might, however, be useful for catching purposes; just be wary of the poison status sapping all of the wild Pokémon's HP. Horn Attack comes at level 22, and is the last move that may have some use in the short term; all of the others are simply not worth waiting for: Helping Hand at 26, Fury Attack at 34, Flatter at 43 and lastly Horn Drill at 53 are never any more useful than the rest of moves the line gets access to, and in addition, Nidoking can learn Thrash at level 22, which is one more reason to not delay the evolution any longer (although it is a risky move, so use with caution). Nidoking also gets Megahorn at level 43, which is a great option if Nidoking somehow needs to fight a Psychic-type; of course, Nidoking should avoid doing so whenever possible, as Psychics are a great danger for it. The TM movepool of this line is very vast and leaves plenty of choices. Nidoking gets access to all three elemental beams: Ice Beam, Thunderbolt and Flamethrower, all of which can be bought in Celadon City at the Game Corner. It can also learn Surf, which is good as an alternative to any of the three, should Nidoking already have coverage for one or more, or if the team simply can use an additional Water move. If Nidoking is still training up and has not gotten to Celadon yet, Water Pulse is a viable option; it has a solid base power and allows Nidorino/Nidoking to get rid of the many Geodude and Graveler scattered all around the region, particularly in Rock Tunnel, removing the danger of them exploding. Likewise, Shock Wave can be used while Nidoking waits on Thunderbolt. Dig is a great STAB option until Earthquake comes around, which is much later in the game; it is also the winning card against Lt. Surge, should Nidoking be already fully evolved before the third gym battle. Sludge Bomb provides Poison STAB, but is only recommended in absence of other options, as it is otherwise outclassed by the coverage provided by the other moves; it will not affect many nuzlockers at any rate, since the TM is only obtainable after the Champion. Interesting physical options include Shadow Ball, another buyable TM from the Game Corner, and Brick Break, easily accessible through the Celadon Dept. Store; it should be noted that Fighting and Ghost coverage make for perfect neutral coverage against all Pokémon in this generation. Toxic is also available, for players who have a defensive Nidoking and/or like stall play. Tutor-wise, Rock Slide is accessible in Rock Tunnel, and is another good option to hit Flying-types; it is a possible alternative to Ice Beam, if access to the latter is somehow precluded, or if Nidoking has a nature that is either unfavorable to Special Attack and/or favorable to Attack. Recommended moveset: ''Physical (Adamant): Earthquake, Shadow Ball, Rock Slide, Brick Break / Megahorn'' ''Special (Modest): Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Flamethrower, Surf / Toxic'' ''Mixed (any other nature): Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Earthquake, Shadow Ball / Toxic'' Recommended Teammates * Pokémon that are good against Psychic-types: Very few of the Pokémon available in Kanto can counter Psychic-types; the proper "counters" mostly boil down to fellow Psychic-types, the only Steel-type, and good special walls without a Psychic weakness. Even in general, one of the above is needed on the team, particularly against Sabrina. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Alakazam, Slowbro, Magneton, Hypno, Exeggutor, Chansey, Starmie, Jynx, Lapras, Vaporeon * Water-types: Water covers for the remaining weaknesses of Nidoking, delivering STAB Surf to fellow Ground-types and providing a Water and Ice resistance. Although Nidoking's own capability to learn Surf and Ice Beam somewhat covers Ground-types, it is best to also have a proper answer that lacks a glaring weakness to Earthquake. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Blastoise, Golduck, Slowbro, Dewgong, Starmie, Gyarados, Lapras, Vaporeon Other Nidoran♂'s stats Nidorino's stats Nidoking's stats * What Nature do I want? Any nature will work. A nature that boosts Attack will do good with a physical set, one that boosts Special Attack will do well with a special set, and whatever other nature Nidoking gets, it can easily run a mixed set. What Nidoking want depends on its own planned team role: Adamant is best for physical ones, Modest is best for special ones. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? Either at level 16, right after becoming a Nidorino, or at level 22 at the latest, when it gets the last moderately useful move, Horn Attack. It is best to keep Nidorino a Nidorino if it must fight against Misty, as it will not take double damage from Water Pulse; otherwise, the sooner the evolution happens, the better: Nidoking will be overpowered in the early game, and its chances of surviving will drastically increase if it evolves early. * How good is the Nidoran♂ line in a Nuzlocke? Excellent, especially for Kanto players. It can evolve straight after Nidorino level, thanks to the early availability of Moon Stones, and it also gets access to the elemental beams relatively early, before many of the boss battles. While it does have one fairly common weakness (Water) when fully evolved, its versatility definitely compensates for it. Nidoran♂'s and Nidorino's type matchups: * Weaknesses: Ground, Psychic * Resistances: Fighting, Bug, Grass, Poison * Immunities: None * Neutralities: Normal, Flying, Ghost, Fire, Dragon, Electric, Rock, Ice, Water, Dark, Steel Nidoking's type matchups: * Weaknesses: Ground, Psychic, Ice, Water * Resistances: Fighting, Bug, Rock, Poison (x0.25) * Immunities: Electric * Neutralities: Normal, Flying, Ghost, Fire, Dragon, Grass, Dark, Steel Category:FireRed/LeafGreen Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses